Robotics pioneers in Salford and Manchester are spearheading a bid to create a ‘Northern Powerhouse’ for automated technologies.
The launch of the Northern Robotics Network at Salford University’s MediaCity campus on September 4 will give fresh focus to collaborations between industry and research centres and is another call to Government to support science in the North.
Building on the UK’s strategy for Robotics and Autonomous Systems, the network will match world class researchers with cutting edge companies to drive innovation and growth in manufacturing, healthcare, food, aerospace and other key regional sectors.
Professor Samia Nefti-Meziani, of the University of Salford, said: “Robots, computers and smart technology will change the way we work, do business – even how we care for our families.
Prime Minister David Cameron described robotics as one of the eight great technologies of the future and one, we believe, will emerge as a powerhouse for the North.
“To fulfil this potential, we need a forum in which to work together and that is what we hope to achieve with the Northern Robotics Network.”
A recent survey of 200 UK manufacturers found two-thirds not currently using robots or automated systems, and a fifth failing to capitalise due to a lack of knowledge and understanding of the technology.
The North’s rich heritage in robotics can be traced back to the Turing Test in the 1950s when University of Manchester mathematician first posed the question Can Machines Think? Another landmark came in 1987 when the University of Salford was chosen as the site of the United Kingdom’s National Advanced Robotics Research Centre.
Since then Robotics researchers at Salford have been at the forefront of strategic national developments initiated by the Department of Business Innovation and Skills, DEFRA and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.
The event at MediaCity UK, Salford University, on September 4 includes speakers and exhibitors from Siemens, Rolls Royce, ABB, Festo, the National Nuclear Laboratory and more than 30 SMEs.
A business and academic audience will see demonstrations of robotics from regional companies and from the University of Salford and the University of Manchester and can visit a showcase of GAMMA – a three-year Regional Growth Fund project between eight partners to develop software for unmanned vehicles and drones.
Keynote addresses at the MediaCity event will outline the challenges and opportunities for robotics and automated systems technology in manufacturing and smart city applications.
